The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-06-11
FORGED THE SOCIAL STATUS.

An old negro, who had gone down from Little Rock and started barber shop in small village, was asked, few days later, when he had returned to town, if he liked his new place of business -
 "Pse dun quit dat place, sah," he re- piled. "Da fo'ced de social status down dar too much ter suit me. At fust l thought I wuz gwine ter git erlong powerful well, an I did ez long ez l used CT high stool stead O CT barber's cheer, but, sah, ez soon ez dat barber cheer come wy de gener- men tuck sich CT fancy ter it dat dad come in an git in it wen da wanted ter take nap, an couldn't git 'em out, cage knowed dat it wouldn't do ter hurt dar feelins'. Oar wuz one man, Col. Gilkrist, dat peered like he did'n' wanter sleep now'ar else. He'd come in O CT mawnin' an say, 'Ah, Amos, yer've got tie most comf'toble place in de city. Blebe I'll sorter res merse'f' Den he'd git inter de cheer an go to sleep an mebbe would'n' git out till mos ebenin' De customers didn' wanter set on CT bench an git shaved wen had sich CT nice cheer, an one mawning-aldo' l wuz mighty [ feerd O hurtin' his fine teelin's-l said ter de colonel dat wusht he would git up till 1 could shave CT drummin' generman dat had jis' come in.
 "'Colonel,' sez l, 'dar's bed in de back room eff yer wanter lay down.
 "'Bleedz ter yer, Amos,' says he. 'Doan put yerse'f to no trouble on my ercount, fur I'd jist as soon sleep heah.'
 "'But, sah, heah's CT generman dat wants ter git shaved.
 "'Wall,' says he, take him in de back room an shave him on de bed. Dis cheer is plenty good ernuff fur me. Fse bleedz ter yer An den fo' l could say CT nuder word he wuz dun soun' ersleep. Wy. sah, il got so bad dat O CT mawnin' wen would come down dar would be CT crowd O fellers 1 standin' roun' waitin' fur de cheer, but de old colonel, bein' CT man O big 'fuence, managed ter hon de mos O 'em off.
 sOne mawnin' las week wen l un- locked de front do' l fbun' dat de colonel had tuck out de sash O de back winder an had come in an wuz done ersleep in de cheer Jist erbout dat time CT white generrnan come in hurry ter git shaved.
 "Says I, Colonel, heah's CT generman dat wants ter git shaved
 "'Wall, den. shave him.
 "'Yas, but I'd like ter hab dat cheer
 "Whut's de matter wid de stool? Doan' bodder me- fur Fse thinkin' bout de bes' way ter git up CT boom in dis town, an eff CT boom does come ain't yer got sense ernuff ter know all hans O us will be hepped?'
 "'But, colonel
 ".Did'n' tell yer dat wuz stydyin' bout CT boom!'
 ".Yas, sah.'
 "'WalP wen it comes yer ken fur nish your house wid desc heah sorter cheers. Go on now, an doan talk ter me-
 II had one customer dat Svuz CT generman sho' huff, MT. Hall, de pus- son dat rented de shop rum, am he greed dat ef I'd shave him wheneber he wanted me to dat he would take de rent dat way Dis wuz CT big help, speshly so, ez de colonel, bein' in debt ter Mir. Hall, allus got up an gin him de cheer Wall things rocked eriong dis CT way till l felt dat suthin' would jist nachully hab ter be did, fur de colonel wuz bodatiously ruinin' my bizness, 30 I sot down one night ter think up CT plan, an putty soon I hit it. l got me CT gre't big darnin' needle an fixed it so dat wen I pulled CT string it would shoot up erbout CT inch an CT ha'f high an den sink back wen l let go de string. Arter got de thing in workin' order it tickled me so dat laughed all roun' de room. I come down ter de shop early de naixt mawnin', an, wid my string ranged so could pull it in de back room, lis flowed dat dar want CT happier man no war. I kep' whtchin' out, an putty soon seed de colonel comin' down de street. He walked 90 lazy dat I didn' feel sorry fur him CT bit, but laughed wen thought how dat white man wuz gwine ter jump wen dat needle hopped up. l slipped inter de back room, did, am shut de do an gedered holt O de string. 'Shufie, shuffie,' come somebody in de frunt room. wuz erfeered ter open de do' , ter see w'uder he had got in de cheer UT not, an wuz gittin' sorter anx- ] ious wen I heerd de click O de cheer dat tole me everything wuz all right. I wuz 90 full CT laugh dat could hardly keep frum snortin' right out,